With the game's release fast approaching, Starfinder previews are streaming by at a rapid rate. Below is a list of the most recent ones, including archetypes, the gods of secrets, first contact, and evolution, nine character themes, information about compatibility between Starfinder and Pathfinder, a lot at a few major changes between the two rulesets, some details about how guns work, and the full video of the Starfinder premiere game event a few days ago, where you can watch a live game being played.

Free RPG Day this last weekend featured a Starfinder mini-bestiary called First Contact. You may have had chance to see it if you swung by your FLGS over the weekend, but we'll talk a little more about it in an article coming very soon. "The Starfinder Roleplaying Game arrives in August 2017, but the first aliens are landing right now! Within this top-secret dossier, you'll find a dozen otherworldly foes both bizarre and familiar, from the asteroid-dwelling sarcesians who ride solar winds on wings of light to technomagical undead horrors capable of ruling forever as the sinister Bone Sages of Eox. While all the creatures in this book are designed for use with Starfinder, all can be easily converted for use with Pathfinder, so there's no need to wait until August to start battling invaders from space!" Contains about a dozen monsters and races.

Archetypes (which are kind of sub-classes) are discussed in this preview. Pathfinder has archetypes, of course, but they weren't introduced until later; in Starfinder, they're there from launch. The article also previews Phrenic Defense, an ability of the Phrenic Adept archetype.

The website Beasts of War takes a look at the gods of Starfinder. Three gods - Eloritu, god of history, magic, and secrets; Hylax, goddess of diplomacy and first contact; and Oras, god of evolution - are covered.

Characters in Starfinder have a character theme, selected from Ace Pilot, Bounty Hunter, Icon, Mercenary, Outlaw, Priest, Scholar, Spacefarer, Xenoseeker, and Themeless. Each gives you benefits at various levels. You can see two theme abilities, the Themeless' General Knowledge, and the Xenoseeker's Quick Pidgin, at the link.

Magic items, spells, feats a little more difficult to convert due to basic gameplay assumptions

No +1 (etc.) weapons as the underlying maths is a bit different; magic items get new abilities instead

Pathfinder races exist, but are less common

You can use all of Pathfinder like "Starfinder Unchained" with a little work

Some of the above is covered in more detail here. Five major changes include Hit Points/Stamina Points/Resolve Points, Energy AC/Kinetic AC (no flat-footed or touch AC), no iterative attacks, fewer attacks of opportunity, no distinction between types of magic (arcane, divine, psychic, etc.)

What's up with guns? Owen Stephens talks about that here. They don't automatically do more damage than being stabbed with a shortsword, equipment has an "item level" which tells you how powerful it is, and gear can have "magic fusions".

All that not enough for you? Check out my previous coverage of the game:

I'm going to be very curious how the guns in SF work out, I have my concerns, but if Mark Seifter says the maths work out, I tend to believe him. It is a worry to me at high levels dealing with shovels full of dice, though I suppose that's better than "1d6+55 damage", like I've seen in some high level Pathfinder games.

EN World Reviews

Unlike 4th Edition, 5th Edition D&D has had a much slower pace for book releases. While some fans grumble, the change has worked in WotC's favor, making each release an event, and interest is doubled for source books like Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.

Here at EN World, I'mlookingatall-agestabletoprole-playinggames, board games, and card games. Do they engage the players at the kids' gaming table? Would they cut it at the adults' table? Are they genuinely fun for every age? A Friend In Need by Jenny Jarzabski from Playground Adventures is a 26-page "stand-alone mini-adventure for […] 1st level characters. Recommended for ages six and up, this module includes adventure content as well as advice for gaming with children." While this review covers the Pathfinder version of the adventure, there is also a 5e version available.

If you want to experience mysteries in Tales from the Loop, Our Friends the Machines is for you. This full color 104 page hardcover includes three complete adventures, eight short adventure locations based on classic 80s songs, four iconic machines from the world of the Loop including blueprints, and a guide to creating your own setting for the game, complete with the Norfolk Broads, a UK-based Loop.

Apocalypse World is the first game to use what we now call the Apocalypse World Engine, published in 2010. It's an innovative system that builds the world as part of character creation, and where the GM (here called the MC) has essentially the same rules as every other player. The second edition of the game was Kickstarted in 2016, and brought the game a bit more in line with the dozens of games that came after.

I reviewed Eloy Lasanta of Third Eye Games'Pip System Corebook on EN World, interviewed him about his AMP Year Four Kickstarter, and talked about my brief run-in with him at AndoCon. Every Third Eye game I've tried has improved my gaming table. With that in mind, when he sent the quickstart for his latest project and Kickstarter, Part-Time Gods 2nd Edition, I knew I wanted to try it out.